Clip dispensing arrangement



July 2, 1 R. E. JEANFAVRE CLIP DISPENSING ARRANGEMENT Filed June 2, 1967 r1. 8.

. INVENTOR.

Foals [Use/Wave: BY

MMWAW MY United States Patent Oce 3,339,761 Patented July 2, 1968 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An elongated card like member for holding wire clips, the member being suspended at one end from a belt and having a narrow upper portion for releasing the clips. The member is divided by longitudinal slots into three vertical strips, the outer of which are severable near the top to provide support.

This invention relates to dispensing means and more particularly it concerns a novel clip dispensing card arrangement.

The present invention is particularly advantageous as embodied in a dispenser for wire-like lath clips used in building construction. These lath clips are of generally complicated configuration for they must be capable of snapping onto a lath strip; and at the same time they must present sufficient extension from the lath to provide anchorage for the plaster or other substance used to cover the lath. In general, these lath clips comprise a pair of parallel wire legs, the ends of which are bent back to lie generally against themselves but to project slightly toward each other thus to form spring like barbs which hook over the edges of a lath strip. The other ends of each of the legs are bent at right angles to form a knee, and from there they are formed into nearly complete loops which lie in a common plane perpendicular to the legs. The two loops are interconnected near the knee by a cross piece. It is the loops and cross piece which provide the anchorage for the plaster or other hardenable material to cover the lath.

Because of the rather complex configuration of these clips, they readily fall into disarray when packaged in an open container such as a box or a can. In such condition these clips take up an excessive amount of space; and because of their bulk, they are difiicult to carry. Also, when carried in an open container the clips easily become tangled and interlock with one another so that extra time and effort are required to separate them for use.

The present invention overcomes the above described problems by providing a disposable dispensing card which maintains the clips in proper orientation and alignment so that they can be withdrawn one by one and used immediately without need first to untangle and separate them.

According to the present invention, there is provided a fiat elongated card which is dimensioned to be partially encircled by the individual clips. The clips are mounted in stacked arrangement on the card with the two loops of each clip extending around the opposite edges, respectively, of the card. Toward one end of the card means are provided for severing edge portions thereof so that the card is effectively made narrow enough in this region to pass through the opening between the two legs of each clip. Thus after the card edge portions are severed the clips may be lifted individually up to the severed region and removed.

According to a further feature of the present invention, the card arrangement accommodates clip designs of the type where the knee portion between the clip legs and loops is so close to the cross piece between the loops that the loops are effectively closed. This feature is achieved through the provision of three separated parallel strips interconnected at opposite ends of the card. The outer strips pass through the loops of each clip While the center strip passes between the cross piece and the barbs formed by the bent back leg ends. The center strip is narrowed slightly toward its upper end so that it can pass between the bent back leg ends of a clip raised to that level.

Prior to use, the elongated card, containing the thumb clips, is hung from the belt. Then the two outer strips of the card are severed in the vicinity of the narrowed region of the center strip. The individual clips are thus maintained in closely compacted array on the card, but are readily separated for individual withdrawal by lifting the uppermost clip to slide along the card until its outer loops reach the severed ends of the outer strips and its barbed leg ends reach the narrow region of the center strip.

There has thus been outlined rather broadly the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures for carrying out the several purposes of the invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions as do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.

A specific embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description, and is shown in the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a thumb clip dispensing device embodying the present invention in actual use;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view, partially broken away, of the thumb clip dispensing device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an edge view of the dispensing device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lath clip carried by the dispensing device of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the upper end of the dispensing device of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 illustrating the manner of withdrawal of individual clips therefrom.

As shown in FIG. 1 the dispensing device of the present invention comprises an elongated card-like member 10 which is connected via a loop 12 at its upper end to a belt 1-4 which is worn around the waist of a person 16 using the device. A plurality of individual clips 18 are arranged in stacked array on the card-like member 10. As can be seen in the drawing, the individual clips 18 are very closely compacted so that their bulk is kept at a minimum; and yet because of the arrangement of these clips on the card-like member 10, they are easily individually withdrawn for use.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the elongated card-like member 10 may be made of any thin sheet material which has an adequate amount of tensile strength to support the weight of the clips. This may include, for example, cardboard, fiberboard, plastic or other such material. The card-like member 10 is of generally rectangular outer configuration and is provided with an upper horizontal belt loop slot 20 through which the loop 12 passes. The loop 12 itself may include a snap fastener 22 for enabling it to be inserted into the slot 20.

A pair of elongated slots 22 and 24 extend downwardly along the length of the card-like member 10 from a location just beneath the belt loop slot 20 to a point slightly above the lower end of the card-like member 10. The elongated slots 22 and 24 thus divide the card-like member in into a pair of vertical outer strips 26 and 28 and i a vertical center strip 30. Toward the upper end of the slots 22 and 24 the outer strips 26 and 28 are each provided with a line of perforations 32 permitting them to be severed when the device is put into use. Additionally, it will be noted that the center strip 30 is cut away or narrowed in the region of the lines of perforations 32 so that the elongated slots 22 and 24 are in effect widened in this upper region. The widening of these slots in combination with the severing of the outer strips 26 and 28 along the lines 32 serves to permit individual withdrawal of the clips 18 as they are lifted upwardly along the cardlike member 10.

Turning now to FIG. 4 it will be seen that each individual clip 18 is formed into a clip configuration from a single piece of wire. This clip configuration includes a pair of parallel legs 34. These legs have end portions 36 bent back on the legs 34 and inclined slightly toward each other so as to form barb-like tips 38. The upper ends of the legs 34 are bent outwardly at right angles to form knees 40. Circular portions 42 extend outwardly from the knees 40 in a plane generally perpendicular to the plane of the legs 34. The circular portions 42 are interconnected at locations closely adjacent their respective knees 40 by a cross portion 44.

When the clips 18 are arranged on the card-like member as shown in FIG. 5 the outer strips 26 and 28 pass through the circular portions 42 of each clip 18 while the legs 34 of the clip hang downwardly along the cardlike member 10. The cross-piece d4 passes along one side of the center stri while the barbed tips 38 of the legs 34- lie against the opposite side of the center strip 30. It will be noted that with this arrangement the knees 40 of the individual clips extend into the elongated slots 22 and 24. This arrangement allows the clips to be maintained in a very closely compacted arrangement so that a maximum number of clips may be carried with a minimum of bulk.

As shown in FIG. 5, the card-like member 10 is first hung via the loop 12 from a belt or similar carrying member. Thereafter the outer strips 26 and 28 are severed along the lines 32 toward the upper end of the card-like member 10. The uppermost clip 18 may then be grasped at its cross-portion 54 and withdrawn upwardly until the barbed tips 38 of the legs 34 reach the narrowed upper region of the center strip 38 so that they can clear the edges of the center strip. At the same time, the severed outer strips 26 and 28 permit the circular portion 42 of the clip 18 to be withdrawn therefrom. Thus the individual clips are securely held on the card-like member 10 in a manner such that they are easily withdrawn individually therefrom.

It will be noted that a cooperative eiiect is achieved between the relatively flexible card-like member 10 and the relatively stiff and rigid clips 18 in that the clips 18 which are held upon the card-like member 10, serve to maintain the positioning of the severed outer strips 26 and 28 so that they serve to maintain proper alignment of the individual clips until they are withdrawn from the dev1ce.

Having thus described my invention with particular reference to the preferred form thereof, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, after understanding my invention, that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as defined by the claims appended thereto.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A dispenser for clips having encircling loops interconnected at one end by a cross piece, the other ends of said loops being formed to define a restricted opening therebetween, said dispenser comprising a fiat elongated member of substantially uniform Width to be partially encircled by the loops of said clips, said fiat elongated member having closed ended slot means therein and means toward one end thereof for opening said slot means, thereby permitting said member to pass through said restricted opening for removal of said clips upon raising same toward said one end, and means for suspending said flat elongated member from the end thereof closest said slot opening means.

2. A dispenser as in claim 1 wherein said means for opening said slot comprises severable portions along the edges of the member.

3. A dispenser for clips having a pair of loops lying in a common plane and interconnected at one end by a cross piece and formed at the other end with a knee closely adjacent said cross piece and with barbed legs extending down from each knee, said dispenser comprising a fiat elongated card-lilee member having a pair of longitudinally extending slots dividing said member into three parallel strips, the outer strips passing through said loops and the central strip extending with the cross piece on one side and the barbed legs on the other side, said outer strips being severable toward their upper end and said center strip being narrowed toward its upper end to pass between said barbed legs.

4. A dispensing arrangement comprising an elongated card-like member having means for suspending same from one end, said card-like member being formed with a pair of longitudinally extending slots dividing said member into three parallel strips, a plurality of wire clips, each of said clips being formed with two circular loops lying in a common plane and joined at one end by a cross piece and formed at their opposite ends with knees lying closely adjacent said cross piece and barbed legs extending downwardly from said kness, said clips being arranged in stacked array on said card-like member with their loops encircling the outer of said parallel strips and the inner of said strips passing between each cross piece and its associated barbed legs, and said knees extending into said longitudinal slots to obtain a compact stacked array.

5. A dispensing arrangement as in claim 4 wherein said inner strip is narrowed toward its upper end to pass between said barbed legs.

6. A dispensing arrangement as in claim 5 wherein said outer strips are severable in the region of their upper end.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,519,738 12/ 1924 McGowan 206--46 2,112,339 3/ 1938 Kasparek 20679 X 2,650,722 1/ 1953 Stabile. 3,078,990 2/ 1963 Smith.

FOREIGN PATENTS 5,189 11/1905 France.

(1st Ad. to No. 354,392)

MARTHA L. RICE, Primary Examiner. 

